Unknown charge

Question

We have an unknown charge to our credit card. It may be an employee but I need to find out who.

Answer 1

Good day @Becky Lawrence, and I appreciate the clear explanation of your concern.  

Just to gently clarify before we go any further, this is a user‑to‑user support forum. I don’t have the ability to access or investigate individual accounts because this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, do not have access to internal systems or the ability to directly take action on Microsoft product features. However, I truly hope I can help review your situation, offer some guidance, and support you in finding the right next steps as best as possible.   

This type of transaction in Microsoft 365 for business can typically come from a few common scenarios, such as recurring billing on an existing subscription or a self-service purchase made by someone in your organization using the company card.  

Below are the most effective ways to help you identify the charge: 

Option 1: Review the invoice and billing account in Microsoft 365 

• Please sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center > Billing > Bills & payment. 
• If your organization has multiple billing accounts, select Change billing account and review each one until you find a charge that matches the amount and date on your credit card statement. 
• Open the invoice that matches the transaction. 
• Review the invoice details carefully, including the billing period, billing profile, billing account, and transaction summary. 

The invoice provides detailed information about what was charged and which billing account it belongs to. Matching the invoice with your credit card statement is the most reliable way to confirm the source of the charge. 

Option 2: Confirm whether the charge is from recurring billing 

Review the subscription or billing profile linked to the invoice. 

Check if the charge aligns with the expected renewal date or billing cycle. 

Recurring billing is enabled by default for most paid subscriptions, and the payment method on file is automatically charged each billing period. Sometimes these charges may appear unexpected if renewal dates are not being tracked. 

Option 3: Check for a self-service purchase made by an employee 

If the charge was created by someone in your organization, this is the most direct way to identify them. 

• Go to Billing, then select Your products in the Microsoft 365 admin center. 
• Check the Self-service trials tab or use the filter in the Products tab and select Self-service. 
• Open the relevant subscription and review details such as the purchaser's name, product, price, and assigned users. 
• If the subscription belongs to an employee, you can take control of it, move users to a centrally managed subscription, or cancel it if needed. 

Self-service purchases allow individual users to sign up independently, even using a company payment method. This section shows exactly who initiated the purchase. 

This article provides further guidance on the topic: Manage self-service purchases and trials (for admins) | Microsoft Learn 

Option 4: Contact Microsoft Support if the charge cannot be identified 

If the charge still cannot be identified after completing the steps above, I recommend submitting a support ticket through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support.  

Turn off the "Support Assistant" feature. 

Use the keyword "Support" to quickly bypass automated suggestions > Click Contact Support. 

In your ticket, please include the following details: 

• A clear description of the situation. 
• The transaction date. 
• The exact amount charged. 
• A summary of what you have already reviewed in the Billing section of the Microsoft 365 admin center 
• You can also indicate that you require assistance from the Microsoft Billing team. 

This will help initiate a more thorough investigation to locate the subscription linked to the charge and ensure your case is directed to the appropriate billing support team. 

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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Answer 2

Use the Microsoft account billing tools and your payment provider to identify who made the purchase.

1. Investigate the Microsoft charge
   1. Go to the Manage your payments page of the Microsoft account dashboard: Manage your payments.
   2. Locate the unknown charge and select Investigate. This walks through the most common causes:
      • A Microsoft 365 or other Microsoft subscription with recurring billing enabled.
      • A purchase made by someone in the organization (for example, an employee) using the shared card.
      • A previously declined charge that was later retried.
      • A pre-order or split order that just shipped.
      • An in-app purchase from an app or game.
2. Check all possible Microsoft accounts
   1. Sign in to the Microsoft account dashboard for each account that might have access to the corporate card.
   2. Under Services or Subscriptions, look for any Microsoft 365, Xbox, or other subscriptions that match the charge amount/date.
   3. Once the subscription is found, you can see which account it belongs to and manage or cancel it if needed.
3. If the charge is accidental or unauthorized
   1. For accidental or unauthorized Microsoft Store purchases, use the refund process described in Returning items you bought from Microsoft for exchange or refund.
   2. If the purchase appears to be fraudulent or cannot be matched to any known account, contact Microsoft Store or Microsoft account billing support and provide the transaction details so they can help locate the account tied to the charge.
   3. If Microsoft and internal checks cannot identify the owner, contact the bank or card issuer to dispute the charge and, if appropriate, request card replacement to prevent further misuse.
4. Prevent future misuse
   1. Remove the corporate card from any accounts where it should no longer be stored.
   2. Implement internal controls so only authorized accounts can use the card for Microsoft purchases.

For Azure-specific unknown usage or charges, review the invoice and Cost analysis, identify the resource and responsible owner, and, if needed, create an Azure support request to help identify the source of the charges.

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References:

• How to investigate a billing charge from Microsoft
• Cancel an order or pre-order from Microsoft Store
• Understand the terms in your Azure usage and charges file
• My credit card is being used by an unknown person to buy Xbox pass. How do I cancel the monthly payment? - Microsoft Q&A
• Cancel a monthly charge on my visa credit card - Microsoft Q&A
• Double Billing for Microsoft Services - Microsoft Q&A